Mid March and no snow!

Most of our snow is finally gone! Yipee!! Just a spot or two in the woods or deep shade. Still in the 40's, but warmer next week. That's what I love about CT. The winters are alot shorter than northern Maine, or western NB, Canada. My folks just got another 6 inches this past weekend, and my brother in northern Maine said they have gotten 17 or 18 feet total this winter. The most since the 1950's! Wow! He's getting real tired of shovelling off all the roofs. I asked if he had a snow blower, and he said 'oh yea! I got it all! Tractor with plow, snowblower, shovel, etc.'

The kids next door are out playing on their trampoline today in their sock feet. I can't say I would let mine (if I had any) do that yet. Even though the sun is warmer, it's still only about 40F, and the wind is out of the north today.

There is a ton of debris on the ground to clean up this year. We had several storms this winter, lots of snow, and one storm in particular broke off alot of branches. The neighbors just cut down the whole tree since they had so much damage to it. We have 2 very large branches to cut up with the chainsaw, and a gazillion smaller and tiny branches to pick up. Oh joy...

We were wakened about 3am one morning this past week by a noise, that at first I couldn't define. Then I heard the glass in my birdfeeder rattle, and I knew instantly what was probably going on.

We sleep with our bedroom window cracked open all winter, with a down comforter and blankets. I love the layers, and fresh cooler air. Anyway, I knew my hubby was awake by hearing him clear his throat, so I jumped out of bed to see what I could out the window. I threw up the window, and in the moonlight, I could make out a large pear shape sitting on the railing by the suet feeder.
Darn. I forgot to bring it in last night.


While I was talking to him, saying he better get off the deck, I heard a whistling sound coming from 2 different directions out back. Just now, two more dark pear shapes come running up the stairs onto the deck, running around excitedly and grunting like little pigs!! I was amazed at what sounds raccoons could make. I yelled and hissed at them, telling them to scat, which after a moment did work.

At that point, my husband was saying 'Uh, I need to get up in a couple of hours and go to work! Could you go downstairs and do that?' I did apologize for getting carried away. It's not much fun if you can't share it with someone, even at 3am. He was very understanding - later that day. :0)

I saw the pear shapes running across the back lawn towards the woods, so I went downstairs to bring in the feeders.

I have brought in the suet feeder, but since the one feeder was empty and the other nearly, I left them last night. They finished off the one feeder. Apparently bird seed is a delicacy for raccoons?? :0))

I wish I had taken pictures, but at 3am, I wasn't really thinking about that until I got downstairs. By then they were gone. (The above picture is of the railing and bird feeder they were so interested in.)